Decision Making & Problem Solving

By admin - Posted on July 26th, 2007

I decided when I had children that it was really important that they be able to be independent individuals and I would respect them and their decisions and choices. Even when they were 2 years old and understood the language enough, they were able to communicate what they wanted and what they needed.

For example, if I'm standing in an ice cream parlor and my child is trying to decide which flavor she wants, I'll give her several choices to pick from because 2 year olds like to have choices. This gives her the feeling of control. Making decisions at an early age makes it a natural process and it also helps you because then when they are 3 or 4 years old, they can decide to dress themselves.

Sometimes parents say they can't let their kid dress themselves because he'll wear blue jeans with his really great jacket, so you obviously have to set boundaries. My 5 year old can now really dress herself well, and she knows what things go together.